


a megalomaniac and their marionette

by pawn_vs_player



Series: DefectTale [13]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: 'tis the season to get scary, Altered Mental States, Blood and Gore, Brainwashing, Dark, Everything Hurts, Evil Chara, Existential Horror, Flowey is dead, Frisk has been taken out of the picture, Gen, Halloween Update, Manipulation, Mind Control, Murder, POV Third Person, Torture, Undertale Pacifist Route, Unhappy Ending, except not at all, kind of, the author is terrible at writing action, they apologize in advance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-27 15:18:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8406796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pawn_vs_player/pseuds/pawn_vs_player
Summary: *I can make him do anything I want, because he doesn't know how to do anything else.*Don't you think he's beautiful, too, doctor? ((In which the author wanted to play with DefectTale and all the horrific scenarios it spawns, and Halloween gave them an excuse to get it the fuck done already.))(Not really canon for any of the three DFTTale timelines.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> * w 3 ! c 0 m 3 t 0 t h 3 h 4 ! ! 0 w 3 3 n u p d 4 t 3 , m y l 0 v 3 ! 1 3 s .  
> * 1 w 4 s g 0 1 n g t 0 w 0 r k 0 n t h 3 f 1 r s t c h 4 p t 3 r 0 f t h 3 Und3rf3!! 4 r c , b u t t h 1 s s 3 3 m 3 d m 0 r 3 . . . s 3 4 s 0 n 4 ! ! y 4 p p r 0 1 4 t 3 .  
> * b 3 s 1 d 3 s . 1 t h 1 n k 1 t ' s 4 b 0 u t t 1 m 3 w 3 d 1 d s 0 m 3 REAL horror 1 n t h 1 s s 3 r 1 3 s , 3 h ?
> 
>  
> 
> * h 4 v 3 f u n .

*The Fallen Child has a choice to make.

Flowey shakes and cries in front of them.  _Please kill me. I'm sorry._

The monsters they have saved are gathered around them. The Fallen Child can sense their wishes for Flowey's fate.

*Toriel wishes for mercy.

*Alphys wishes for mercy.

*Undyne wishes to fight.

*Asgore wishes for mercy.

*Papyrus wishes for mercy.

*. . . 

*Sans has no wishes except for the Fallen Child's.

The Fallen Child smiles.

"--Sans? What do you think I should do?--"

Sans shrugs, hands in his pockets. "dunno, kid. it's your choice to make."

"--Yes,--" the Fallen Child murmurs, and looks at their hands. "--It is my choice.--"

*The Fallen Child considers their fallen brother.

*The Fallen Child smiles.

*The Fallen Child has made their choice.

 

 

**999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999**

 

 

 

*Flowey cries out as the Fallen Child's blade slashes through his face. Shredded golden petals fall to the ground as Flowey shudders, screaming once more, and turns to dust.

*The dust coats their boots. The Fallen Child slips their knife back up into their sleeve.

*"My... my child?"

*The Fallen Child's LV and EXP levels are flickering, trying and failing to change. 

*Toriel reaches out for them. "My child, what... why..."

*Undyne grins and claps them on the shoulder. "Good riddance to him!"

*The Fallen Child is steady under Undyne's hand. They do not answer their mother.

*They turn to meet Alphys' stare.

*The current Royal Scientist is shaking, hands clenched into fists. Her eyes are suspiciously shiny.

* " _I t 's y o u . "_

*The Fallen Child grins.

*It's good to be recognized, and better to be feared.

*"Al?" Undyne asks, going to her girlfriend's side. "What do you mean?"

*The Fallen Child's smile spreads wide and red across their stolen face. 

*Alphys shakes her head, looking away. "N-Nothing."

*Alphys always has been a smart cookie with strong self-preservation instincts. She will not dare to confront Chara.

*But Chara will very happily confront  _her._

*"--No, Alphys, what  _did_ you mean? I want to know.--"

*The lizard monster shudders at the sound of their voice.

*"I-It was nothing, really."

*Chara smiles.

*"--I don't believe you.--"

*"My child!" Toriel says, approaching. "Don't be so rude! If Alphys wishes to put it aside, then-"

*"--But she doesn't want to,--" they say. Chara isn't stupid either. "--She's just scared of what will happen if she says it again.--"

*Everyone's eyes are flipping between Chara and Alphys now.

*Everyone, that is, except Sans.

*Loyal, lovely Sans, who will always follow their orders, who knows nothing but obedience and LOVE. 

*Their perfect follower. 

*Chara puts their hands on their hips and steps closer to Alphys. "--Go on. Say it. I know you want to.--"

*Alphys does want to. Desperately. 

*She wants to tell everyone what Chara's done, what happened to Sans.

*She wants to take Sans away from Chara.

*Chara won't allow it.

*  **D O I T .**

*Toriel gasps in horror, jerking away. "My child?!"

*Oops.

*The fallen child didn't mean to do their creepy face thing. 

*Oh well. Their cards have been spilled.

*May as well make the best of it.

*"--Go ahead, Alphys. No reason to stay quiet now.--" They tilt their head, smiling, letting their face drip black like a melting candle with the force of their hate. 

* **O R A R E Y O U S T I L L T O O S C A R E D ?**

*Alphys remains silent, shaking, cradled in her girlfriend's arms.

*Chara laughs mockingly. 

*  **I S H O U L D ' V E K N O W N . Y O U ' V E A L W A Y S B E E N A P A T H E T I C L I T T L E C O W A R D .**

*"My child, stop this!" Toriel cries out.

*"Shut your damn mouth, punk!" Undyne yells.

*"Frisk, I do not understand what is going on, but you cannot speak to Alphys like that," their father says reprimandingly.

*Chara laughs. Black goo drips as they double over in hysterics.

*  **O F C O U R S E Y O U D O N ' T U N D E R S T A N D . Y O U ' R E A N I D I O T .**

*Asgore is offended.

*"Frisk!"

*The fallen child continues to laugh. 

* **G O D . I F O R G O T H O W F U C K I N G S T U P I D Y O U A L L A R E . H O W E A S Y I T I S T O B R E A K Y O U . I G U E S S I T ' S E A S Y T O F O R G E T , W H E N A L L I D O I S E L I M I N A T E Y O U .**

*There is silence.

*"WHAT... WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'ELIMINATE', FRISK?" 

*Papyrus. Of course.

*He infuriates the fallen child.

*This is going to be s o m u c h  **f  u  n   .**

*  **D O N ' T C A L L  M E F R I S K . T H A T I S N O T M Y N A M E .**

*Undyne summons her spear. "Who are you?! What'd you do to the kid?!"

*The fallen child giggles.

* **W H Y D O N ' T Y O U A S K Y O U R K I N G A N D Q U E E N ? I ' M S U R E T H E Y R E C O G N I Z E M E .**

*Toriel catches Asgore's eyes. "I'm sorry," the king says, "but I do not. Please tell us your name and what you did to Frisk."

*  **F R I S K I S D E A D .**

*It's not strictly true, but it may as well be. The fallen child has no intention of ever letting Frisk out of the small, dark prison in the corner of their corrupted, overtaken soul again. 

*Toriel gasps, fire flickering in her palms. Undyne readies her spear for an attack.

*  **A N D M Y N A M E , D A D , I S  C  H  A  R  A  .**

*The look on Toriel and Asgore's faces is priceless.

*Undyne, however, is much less impressed.

*"Chara's dead, punk! And how  _dare_ you touch Frisk?! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!"

 

*Undyne is attacking the Fallen Child.

*The fallen child cannot stop laughing.

* **S A N S . C A N Y O U D O M E A F A V O R ?**

*Chara put a lot of thought into their trigger words. In a less fraught scenario, any observers might not have noticed anything going wrong until far too late.

*It's fascinating, watching the small lights flicker out in Sans' eyes as his individual consciousness shuts down. His empty sockets are the same void black as the remnants of Chara's soul.

_*Sans is now entirely under the fallen child's control._

*The Fallen Child smiles. Black hatred oozes down their spread cheeks, dripping and sizzling into the dirt.

*  **D E A L W I T H H E R F O R M E .**

 

*Sans enters the battle in place of the Fallen Child.

*Undyne is surprised.

*"Sans? What are you  _doing?_ Get out of the way!"

*Undyne SPARES Sans.

*Undyne has wasted her turn.

*Sans attacks!

*A wave of bones bursts from the ground. Undyne yelps, dodging, but she isn't prepared for them to keep coming, fly through the air and begin to anticipate her movements before trapping her firmly in a cage.

*The bones glow with blue magic. She cannot escape the cage without being severely injured.

*Sans ends the battle with Undyne.

 

*"SANS!" Papyrus yells. "WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING?!"

*The Fallen Child smiles. Evil and hatred and jealousy swirl inside them, a toxic Molotov cocktail waiting to be unleashed.

* **S A N S .**

*Sans is waiting for instruction.

*  **I W A N T Y O U T O K I L L P A P Y R U S F O R M E .**

*The world is still and silent in the wake of Chara's order. Papyrus has frozen in place, jaw half-dropped in shock. Alphys' eyes are wide in terror and horror alike- oh, yes, the Fallen Child likes that look. That is the look of a being who knows exactly what Chara is capable of, and how far they are willing to go.

*Papyrus laughs uneasily. "SILLY HUMAN! SANS WOULD NEVER HURT ME! HE IS MY BROTHER! HE LOVES ME!"

*Chara laughs.

* **Y O U R E A L L Y A R E A N I D I O T .**

 

 

*Sans has entered a battle with Papyrus.

*Papyrus is shocked.

*"B-BROTHER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

*Papyrus is SPARING Sans.

*Papyrus is too kind to be smart. 

*Sans is attacking Papyrus.

*The taller skeleton is too stunned to move as Sans surrounds his little brother in blasters. Papyrus crumples to his knees, screaming, as the blasters unleash on him.

*Undyne is screaming Papyrus' name. 

*Toriel is begging Sans to stop.

*Asgore is telling the Fallen Child to end this.

*...

*Alphys is crying silently, shielding her eyes.

*Alphys has no HOPE.

*Alphys knows better than to HOPE.

 

*"SANS! SANS, STOP! I CAN'T HURT YOU!"

*Papyrus eats a cinnamon bunny to restore his HP. 

*The Fallen Child wonders where he was hiding it.

*Sans is attacking again.

*Papyrus dodges most of the blasters this time, though a couple hundred HP are knocked off when his arm is clipped by the beam. But that isn't the end of the attack. Sans sends bones flying everywhere, so many that Papyrus cannot hope to dodge them all: and he doesn't.

*Papyrus has lost a thousand HP.

*"SANS... SANS, PLEASE, SNAP OUT OF IT! DON'T LISTEN TO THE HUMAN! SANS, STOP IT! I'M YOUR BROTHER! YOU DON'T WANT TO HURT ME!"

 

*The Fallen Child is laughing.

* **Y O U ' R E R I G H T . H E D O E S N ' T W A N T T O U H U R T Y O U . B U T _I_ W A N T H I M T O K I L L Y O U , S O H E ' L L D O I T A N Y W A Y .**

 

*The Fallen Child has made Papyrus angry.

*"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BROTHER?!" he demands. "WHAT DID YOU  _DO?!_ "

 

*The Fallen Child is still laughing. Liquid black hate spills down their chin, staining their sweater and hissing acidically when it hits the ground.

*  **I S N ' T I T O B V I O U S ?**

*Sans attacks Papyrus again. Papyrus yells as he loses another six hundred HP.

* **I  B  R  O  K  E  H I M .**

 

 

*Papyrus is attacking the Fallen Child.

*Sans summons a blaster. It takes the damage for Chara, shielding them fully from Papyrus' attack.

*Sans attacks Papyrus, trapping him in a bone cage identical to Undyne's before ringing him in blasters.

*Papyrus does not stand a chance. When he tries to dodge, he is hurt by the bones; when he stays still, he is hit by the blasters.

 

*Papyrus is almost dead.

*The Fallen Child is happy.

*Sans is empty.

 

*"SANS... SANS, PLEASE..."

*Papyrus is trying to S A V E his brother.

*The Fallen Child snorts in derision.

* **Y O U W O N ' T G E T T H R O U G H T O H I M . Y O U C A N ' T G E T T H R O U G H T O H I M .**

*  **Y O U R V O I C E M E A N S N O T H I N G T O H I M . T H E O N L Y O N E H E ' L L L I S T E N T O I S _M E ._**

*No one can take Sans away from Chara. No one.

*  **H E ' S _M  I  N  E  ._**

 

 

*The Fallen Child tells Sans to finish this.

*Sans raises his hand. For a moment, his left eye flickers with color- white and yellow and blue and red- before returning to the blank, empty black.

*Papyrus closes his eyes.

 

 

 

**999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999**

 

 

 

*Undyne is screaming Papyrus' name.

*The Fallen Child is ecstatic.

*Toriel is crying.

*Asgore is in shock.

*...

*Alphys isn't watching. Alphys stopped watching a while ago.

 

*Sans is still, waiting for his next command.

 

*The Fallen Child decides on their next target.

*  **F I N I S H T H E F I S H . H E R N O I S E A N N O Y S M E .**

 

 

 

*Undyne dies pathetically quickly. She does return, as she had for Chara, sustained only with d e t e r m i n a t i o n before even her last hope destroys her.

 

**999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999**

 

*Chara's father is next. They let his own judge sentence him to execution.

*Asgore tries his best to fight, and he does kill Sans once- with tears in his eyes and apologies on his lips- only to abruptly be impaled when Sans' unending supply of d e t e r m i n a t i o n brings him back. Asgore has no hope after that.

 

**999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999**

 

*Toriel cries as she fights Sans. She tells him stupid jokes as she throws fireballs. 

*She kills him three times before he kills her.

 

**999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999**

 

 

*Sans and his jacket are covered in dust. Chara can even see some glistening in one of his eye sockets. They get on their tiptoes to wipe it away, then lick their finger curiously.

*It tastes like salt and blood and sugarwater. Must be Undyne's.

 

*Alphys is the only one left. She stands with her hands in the pockets of her lab coat, dry-eyed, tears evaporated from her cheeks. 

*Chara approaches her with a skip in their step. 

* **I S N ' T H E M A G N I F I C E N T ? I W O R K E D S O H A R D T O G E T H I M J U S T R I G H T . I T H I N K I D I D Q U I T E W E L L , W O U L D N ' T Y O U A G R E E ?**

*Alphys shifts and says nothing.

*Chara, annoyed, keeps talking. They want a reaction.

*  **I ' M H O N E S T L Y S O P R O U D O F H I M . H E ' S D O N E B E T T E R T H A N I D A R E D H O P E F O R .**

*  **I T ' S S U C H A T R I P T O S E E T H E P E O P L E W H O K I L L E D M E D I E T O T H E W E A K E S T O F T H E I R N U M B E R . U N D Y N E M U S T H A V E B E E N S O A S H A M E D . S H E N E V E R W A S W O R T H Y O F H E R J O B .**

*Alphys' fists clench. Chara grins.

*  **I T R E A L L Y I S L O V E L Y , H O W M A L L E A B L E H E I S .**

*  **I C A N M A K E H I M D O A N Y T H I N G I W A N T , B E C A U S E H E D O E S N ' T K N O W H O W T O D O A N Y T H I N G E L S E .**

*  **D O N ' T Y O U T H I N K H E ' S B E A U T I F U L , T O O , D O C T O R ?**

*"Go to hell," Alphys snarls.

*Chara giggles.

*  **T H A T ' S N O T Y O U R L I N E .**

*Alphys smiles. Her teeth are sharp and bared. "You think I give a damn about what I'm supposed to say right now?"

*Chara laughs, pressing a hand to their chest in mock surprise. 

* **D O C T O R ! R E V E A L I N G O U R T R U E C O L O R S , A R E W E ?**

*Alphys shrugs. "You could say that, I suppose."

*...

*The Fallen Child is suddenly very, very concerned.

* **S A N S -**

* _ **N O .**_

*Alphys cuts Chara off. Sans remains still, inactive. Waiting for instruction.

*Chara looks at Alphys. They have never been afraid of Alphys before. They've never needed to be.

*But this timeline is anything but ordinary.

*Alphys clears her throat.

* _ **L E A V E , S A N S . Y O U A R E N O T N E E D E D H E R E .**_

*Sans' left eye flares up in yellow and blue. He nods robotically, then steps through a hole in spacetime and disappears.

*Chara yells in frustration.

*  **H O W D I D Y O U D O T H A T ? W H A T D I D Y O U D O ? !**

*Alphys pulls one hand out of her lab pocket. She's holding an empty vial.

*When Chara looks closer, they can see the red glare in Alphys' eyes, and the unnatural way her scales are sagging.

*  **D E T E R M I N A T I O N ? R E A L L Y ? Y O U O F A L L P E O P L E O U G H T T O K N O W H O W D A N G E R O U S T H A T I S .**

*Alphys smirks.

*  _ **I K N O W H O W T O H A N D L E I T . W O R R Y A B O U T Y O U R S E L F .**_

*Chara giggles. They might actually get to have a  _challenge_ for once.

*  **B R I N G I T O N .**

 

 

 

**999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999**

 

 

 

 

**999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999**

 

 

 

 

**999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999**

 

 

 

 

**999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999**

 

 

 

*Chara is fortunate that they s a v e d before they started the battle with Alphys.

*They can't even explain how she keeps winning, but she  _does,_ again and again. Reality seems to warp around them, knocking down Chara's stats even when Alphys isn't attacking.

*Slowly, the truth begins to dawn on the Fallen Child: whatever Alphys has done, whatever power her d e t e r m i n a t i o n has given her... it makes her invulnerable to Chara's attacks.

*C h a r a c a n n o t w i n t h i s f i g h t .

*Both of them know the moment Chara understands their circumstances, because they scream in anger more than confusion.

* **H O W ? !**

*Alphys puts a finger to her lips. A shadow flickers across her skin, and Chara loses another twenty HP.

* _ **T R A D E S E C R E T .**_

 

*Chara cannot win.

*Chara, for the first time in their existence, has no possible way to win.

*Their weapon is useless. Resetting or loading have already been tested, and both failed. Their d e t e r m i n a t i o n is matched and overshadowed by their opponent's, but unlike Undyne, Alphys seems to have adapted to the determination, running on it the same way Chara does. Chara has no available allies, no ace up their sleeve.

*They're alone.

*And they're going to lose.

 

*Chara weighs their options.

*Alphys ignores them when they speak. They're out of items, and anything they could use is rendered quickly useless by the glitches in reality. Fighting does nothing: Alphys is as good at dodging blows as Sans.

*They only have one choice left, and it really isn't any choice at all.

 

* **t h e f a l l e n c h i l d i s s p a r i n g a l p h y s .**

 

 

*Alphys grins. Red determination trickles down the side of her mouth. Black holes twist and dance around the two of them.

*Finally. I've been waiting for you to realize that was your only option for way too long.

*  **W H A T A R E Y O U G O I N G T O D O ?** Chara asks softly. 

*They don't want to go into death blind.

*Alphys chuckles. 

*I'm going to do what you always wanted.

 

 

*The Fallen Child doesn't understand.

 

*Alphys darts forward, fingers curled into claws sheathed in shadow. Chara screams as Alphys tears into their chest, blood splattering her white lab coat and staining her scales.

*Alphys emerges holding a soul, but not quite.

*It had been red, once, but only hints of the original color remain. It is bigger than any soul should be, and it has spiderweb cracks running across it. 

*It is the black of the void Alphys uses as her weapon.

*Alphys smiles at Chara. It might have been gentle, if not for the way her claws dig into the soul as she does. Chara's knees buckle.

*I'm sorry, Frisk. I hope you can't feel this, but if you can... I'm sorry. Be strong for me.

*Chara gurgles a laugh, choking on the black hate bubbling in their throat.  **F R I S K I S D E A D !**

*We both know that's a lie.

 

*Alphys takes a deep breath.

*Alphys crushes the soul.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Alphys falls to her knees, shaking, crying.

*She is paying the cost for her victory.

*She knew what would happen if she did this. She always knew.

*But existing in this reality was worse, to her, than paying the price of destroying it.

*Her d e t e r m i n a t i o n burns in her veins, but that's not what's killing her. That's not why she's coming apart in the seams, blood and dust and flashing numbers tangling together and tearing apart. That's not why the Void curls delicate, greedy fingers around her, eager to finally claim her as its own.

*Alphys' only regrets are for the people she is taking with her.

*She had not wanted to erase everyone else. She had wanted to s a v e them.

*But that is no longer a possibility.

*Sans, Mettaton, Napstablook, everyone in the entire world- they're going to die, too. They're going to be e r a s e d, too.

*And all because of Alphys' choice to fight the child. All because she refused to watch everything fall apart once again.

*But it's still falling apart. And now it's  _her_ fault, not Chara's.

 

*Knowing that this would have happened, either way...

*Knowing that she  _did_ save Sans, at least in some capacity...

 

(--give me liberty or give me death--)

*Knowing that she will no longer have to live with the pain of existence...

*Knowing that oblivion is coming for her, peace is coming for her, freedom is coming for her...

*It fills Alphys with d e t e r m i n a t i o n .

 

 

*She did her best.

*She saved her best friend.

*She destroyed the demon.

*She destroyed the world the demon had broken.

 

*Alphys closes her eyes on her regrets.

*She is proud of herself, for the first time in a long time.

 

 

*

*Alphys has no regrets.

 

 

 

 

 

~~_file deleted._ ~~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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**Author's Note:**

> * w 3 ! p .  
> * 1 ' m 0 f f t 0 b 3 g c 4 n d y f r 0 m s t r 4 n g 3 r s .  
> * s 3 3 y 4 .


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